Dining Out: Mentor's Maracas on its way to cruisin' Caribbean

What's the best way to eat the massive Debbie Burger at Maracas? (Seriously, if you know, let us in on the secret.)

Hey, mon, if you're looking for a taste of the Caribbean, you can't go wrong with Maracas in Mentor.

But, pay attention, because until the staff settles in, it can be a little bumpy.

The eatery opened late last month in the hulk of a building on Mentor Avenue that formerly was home to Rock City and Stagez young adult club.

Maracas performed a remake in this simply massive structure that left it bathed in warm colors and comfortable seating. A dance floor remains, a perfect fit for the nights when live music will be featured.

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For now, owners can't serve alcoholic drinks, because they're awaiting the transfer of their liquor license. But you can bring your own, or, if you want, order from a nearby wine store and the staff will head down Mentor Avenue to pick it up.

When we settled in on a Saturday night a few weeks ago for a dinner with friends, we stuck with soft drinks.

We spent a good while checking out the menu, which at first glance didn't appear to be all that formidable, printed on two sides of one large piece of white paper. But, when you start reading, it's difficult to pick between the categories, let alone individual dishes.

Among the more difficult choices was our appetizer. In contention were a Caribbean flatbread pizza ($8), with roasted chicken, feta cheese and finished with a melba sauce, and the conch fritters ($8), which were fried and served with a choice of sauces.

But we decided on something we'd never tried -- fish tacos ($9). Served in a soft taco shell, they combined grilled fish with romaine lettuce, tomato, avocado and cheddar cheese, topped by sour cream. The two tacos were served alongside a generous helping of Caribbean rice.

We also asked for the mango salsa and chips ($5).

Our friends went for Maracas potato skins ($7), opting against adding shrimp and crab filling for an extra $2.

The tacos were fantastic. Loaded with fish and crispy vegetables, and topped with a doctored-up sour cream, they were messy like tacos should be, but heavenly with perfectly cooked fish.

The potato skins were gorgeous, too. Our companion Cindy pointed out that there was no doubt they were made on site, with generous bits of potato left in the skins, before being topped with cheddar cheese and bacon. From my side of the table, I couldn't tell what kind of bacon it was, and Cindy reached her fork over to show me sizeable chunks of real, diced bacon on top of the potato.

You'll note that we also had asked for the mango salsa. Our server repeated it back to us when we ordered it, but it never arrived with our appetizers. He even said when taking our orders that he'd bring out chips and salsa, but that didn't' arrive until we asked about it near the end of our meal.

Our dinner selections involved a lot of discussion about sauces, toppings and opportunities to share bites of food.

When my husband opted for the Dominican Fisherman's Stew ($16), I went for one of the varied burgers on the menu, the Debbie Burger ($10).

Our server's eyes lit up when both of us placed our orders. I figured that was a good sign. I wonder if he'd have been as peppy if I had gone for my second choice, the Caribbean Sunrise Burger ($11), which is topped with caramelized onions and a fried egg.

We both wanted fries ($1.50) with our meals, opting for the "seasoned fries" over the "loaded" version, which adds cheese and bacon.

Cindy's meal included flank steak with 1 1/2 pounds of crab legs, served with a baked potato and an ear of corn. She had to remind our server that the menu also listed a cup of chicken noodle soup.

John's dinner came with a generous portion of grilled vegetables and wild rice. The menu said the chicken breast was stuffed with the rice, but when it arrived, the chicken breast, which was topped with Alfredo sauce, was simply sitting atop the rice. He also was missing a piece of his meal -- the ear of corn he reminded the server to bring over.

Cindy started laughing when our server laid my husband's and my meals on a nearby table for ease of transfer. She raved about the size of my burger.

When our server turned to deliver it, I was stunned by the Debbie Burger's height of about 8 inches, bun to bun.

The Fisherman's Stew was served in a massive bowl that was loaded with different types of fish and vegetables. My husband asked for a spoon when the server laid it down. Our server then brought over my husband's fries with a second round of drinks, and he again asked for a spoon. When the server checked back to see how everything was, my husband once again asked for a spoon. This time, he got it.

Cindy and I studied my burger to see how I should attack it. Finally, I just gave up and decided to eat it with a knife and fork after slicing it in half with the steak knife that was plunged through the middle for stability. I had to return the knife to the other half to keep it from falling all over the plate.

Every part of the burger was tasty. Even though I admit to having a big mouth, not even I could wrap my lips around this one. The burger was cooked perfectly, and so was its slice of hot Italian sausage. Atop that were a perfect slice of avocado, lettuce, tomato and the blue cheese I requested.

My fries didn't taste really "seasoned," though. When I peeked over at my husband's, I realized why. Because they weren't. His were dusted with a brown powder, a Caribbean spice blend. The spice didn't add much to the fries, so we'd do without if we had to pick again.

His stew, however, was a delightful blend of flavors and textures. The fish was cooked just right, and the broth was flavorful.

John tore through his chicken and rice, savoring the Alfredo topping with the rice and chicken.

Cindy's meal, however, was a trouble spot. Her crab legs were cold to the touch, and at one point she held out a piece of crab for me to feel. It was ice cold. Her steak, which she requested medium-rare, arrived well done on one side, and rare on the other. She sent it back for additional cooking on the one side.

She waited to eat her baked potato, because no butter was served with the spud. When it arrived at the table, it was the same butter that was served with her crab legs -- a cup of melted butter. She said her potato tasted like seafood.

She enjoyed the cup of soup, though. She said the broth was very tasty and it had nice chunks of chicken with the abundant noodles.

We couldn't decide if the staff was just too new or if they didn't know their menu. Either way, while we enjoyed our food, we were perplexed at every turn by the confusing service. The end of the meal provided another surprise, a credit card payment system at tableside that didn't provide a printed receipt.

Maracas

7597 Mentor Ave. | Mentor

440-918-1684 | No website

Location: North side of Mentor Avenue, across from Aspen Dental, just west of Wendy's.

Type of restaurant: Caribbean cuisine.

Liquor and wine: No. Staff will order from nearby wine store and pick up for customers, or arrange for customers to pick it up themselves.

Facilities for the handicapped: Yes.

Credit cards: Major credit cards. Transaction is completed via cell phone technology and requires a text message for a copy.